Darn Good Pasta
I’ve been doing lots of cooking and baking and not so much blogging lately….I’ve been feeling under the weather with a sinus infection, and The Littlest Apple is back to waking up 5 or 6 times a night, which is just dandy. So I’m doing my best to get caught up during his naptime today. Ahhhh, naptime….I still can’t believe we finally got The Littlest Apple to actually take a nap during the day. We’ve come a long way. Anyway, I’ve got quite a few new recipes to share with you, so stay tuned!
After making those Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Roll-ups, I had some leftover penne and sun-dried tomatoes. In an attempt to cut back my ever-increasing grocery bill (all that baking adds up!), I “shopped” at home first, and found a recipe in Taste of Home that I could make with ingredients already on hand. It was easy to put together and not too rich. I would use homemade alfredo sauce (as opposed to the stuff in the jar) if I made this again. The Picky Apple didn’t care for this dish because of the wine sauce. You would think I’d have learned my lesson after serving him the Mediterranean Chicken Fettuccine with red wine sauce, but this dish used white whine, and much less of it. Thought I could sneak it by him, but apparently not.   Those of you that love alfredo sauce and wine sauces will like this dish.
Darn Good Pasta
from Taste of Home Brand Name Cookbook, Spring 2008
Yields 4 servings (probably more like 6!)
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces uncooked penne or bow tie pasta
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/4 Pinot Grigio
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 jar (about 10 ounces) alfredo sauce
- 3/4 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook shallots and garlic in olive oil for about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook for 3 minutes until no longer pink. Add wine, basil and parsley; cook for 1 minute.
In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, chicken mixture, alfredo sauce, tomatoes, milk, 1/4 cup cheese and pepper. Spoon into a shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
